Smile
by drama fixated
Summary: He had taught her to smile again. Yuki x Tohru, warning: character death! Don't read if you hate that sort of thing.


Disclaimer: Fruits Basket ain't mine; it's all Natsuki Takaya's. Only the fic belongs to me.

Author's Note: This was a plot bunny I got a while ago. The characters are OOC, and it's sappy all the way through . . hopefully that doesn't make you disgusted enough to tell me what you think of the fic.

(edit) And now that I'm writing this about a year later...it really is bad. Meh. Oh well.

Dedication: To **Romy**, for always inspiring and encouraging me.

And Saki died, as cliché and horribly convenient as it sounds, in a car accident. (hides) Yes, I know, I know – I'm sorry!

- -

She had thought she would never smile again. No longer would a bright, cheery grin light up her face – no longer would she make a happy face for everyone.

It just wasn't worth the effort anymore. She knew she couldn't keep up this façade any longer – it took all her strength just to muster a small sad smile that barely touched the corners of her mouth.

Why smile and laugh when she had nothing and no one to be happy for? Keeping up her happy act for a year had cost her dearly; one of the most important people in her life was gone forever, never to return – she would never have her best friend back.

She would never see Hana-chan's sly grin that let on to everyone, especially the Yuki Sohma Fanatics Club, what she was up to, she would never be comforted by the kind, warm, soft words of her friend – she would never talk, see, hear or touch Hana-chan ever again.

There was no more reason to smile . . even if it was for Hana-chan, she knew she wouldn't be able to keep her mask for more than five seconds – every part of her was frozen numb with unfeeling shock, and she felt like the saddest person in the world.

Instantly Momiji's tale of the foolish traveler came to her mind, and she felt prickles of regret stab harshly into her. How could she think like this? Maybe she had nothing to smile for now, but that didn't mean she ever would have something to grin happily for.

Even if her whole being refused to believe that, she knew there would always be something to be happy for. In darkness, there would always be a light forever shining on – and it existed when people believed in it; in hope, happiness and strength.

If only she could let herself believe that . . believe, trust and _hope _that it was true. She could hear Okaa-san's voice now, admonishing her silently in her mind: "_There's always some happiness in the world, Tohru-chan_."

_Oh, Okaa-san, is that really true? _She thought sadly. _Is there really happiness everywhere in the world, in every place a person could be in and find it?_

It was so hard to be smiling and joyful now; it was so hard to keep up her ever cheerful façade, when inside she hurt so much and so badly.

She knew it was only a matter of time before even she, the oh so kind and jolly one, would stop feeling every emotion there was in the world – pain, happiness, anger, regret, helplessness – and simply stop living. But she also knew that someday, someday soon, she would smile once more . . even if she didn't feel like she would ever conjure up a cheerful face for anyone again.

And happened, it did. She would remember that day as the most wonderful she had ever had in her life – it had seemed like an ordinary day, but in reality, it wouldn't turn out to be that way. As she soon found out on the first day she smiled again.

Quietly sitting and reading a book in the vast backyard near Yuki-kun's "secret base," eyebrows furrowed in deep concentration in absorbing every word her eyes took in and her mind to think about, she never noticed a grey-haired, dark-eyed young man watching her calmly with unreadable eyes.

As she read, he continued to watch her, the impassive expression never leaving his face. Although he was considered by (nearly) everyone at Kaibara High School to be a "cold prince," he was only that way because of his harsh past.

And when it came to her, his carefully constructed mask came tumbling down, and he was left defenseless and his emotions bare for only her to see. They both felt a sharp, never-ending pain piercing them now – they were kindred spirits, the only ones who knew each other's pain.

Nobody else could imagine, feel, know or understand the immense guilt and agonizing pain that burned in them – only they could. She knew only he would understand the jabbing pain that never left her, and he knew only she would understand and truly _know_ how he felt.

They were both outsiders, outcasts of society – in school and in the zodiac. He didn't belong, and she didn't, either. He was the rat who believed that he was pathetic and was only nice to people just so they would like him (which they did, very fervently), and she was the spacey riceball who understood but could never be understood.

Until he had burst into her life, a flash of smile and sweetness. He had changed her life . . he had taught her there was always more to life, that there wasn't just despair, sadness and misery in the world – he had showed her the beautiful side of life. Her okaa-san had been right – there was always some happiness in life, wherever she went.

And, she reflected, it was ironic how he had suffered through so much at the hands of his family's tyrant clan head, but knew and _believed _there was joy and love in the world.

_He_ had made her believe. He had made her believe, just as she had made him believe, that there was good in the world, and that the both of them shouldn't lose their faith in humanity. For humanity could be very surprising and unpredictable. His smile had betrayed her before once of that fact – but now she knew better. Underneath that enigmatic smile and calm exterior was pain that even she couldn't comprehend, but she could feel. She could feel his pain, and he could feel hers.

"Honda-san?" The utterance of her name on his lips made her jump off the bench that she had been sitting on, and steely determination to find the culprit replaced shock on her face, as she looked for from where the voice had come.

He chuckled softly and appeared, leaving the shadowy tree that he had been leaning against only a millisecond before. "It's me," he said gently, which made the determined look on her face disappear and a warm, relieved one to take its place.

"Yuki-kun!" she exclaimed, very surprised but thrilled that he had been the "culprit."

"What are you doing here?" She asked suddenly, after a few minutes of comfortable silence.

He looked around, an unreadable look locked in his grey eyes. "I was just strolling around when I saw you," he smiled slightly, "and I didn't want to bother your reading. So I stayed in the shadows."

"Eh? You were watching me?" She squawked not too glamorously. And she had to wince at how annoyingly whiny she sounded.

A laugh escaped him. "Only for a little while, and then when I called your name, you got defensive."

"I couldn't help it," she replied, realizing that once again, she was being on her guard around him when she didn't need to be. "And you scared me."

A twinkle shone in his eyes. Could it be – could he possibly be_ laughing_ at her? Her cheeks burned from embarrassment. "I didn't mean to, Honda-san," he said tenderly, looking at her as if she was the only person in his world, which she was, "I'm sorry if I did."

"It's okay!" She waved her hand. "You didn't mean to. So were you here to check on your garden?"

He smiled mysteriously. "Yes. Oh!" A child-like energy possessed him at that moment. "I've something to show you there, if you don't mind coming along."

"I don't – I wouldn't miss it for the world!" was her enthusiastic response.

"I thought you would," A small, secretive smile was all he gave her as a hint, which only made her wonder more than ever exactly what he was up to . . if he was up to anything. Which was possible . . like everything was possible with him, she thought fondly.

Pondering excitedly on what his surprise for her could be, she didn't notice until he had prodded her gently to follow him that he had taken her hand, making her blush prettily under his intense gaze. She didn't mind, he was glad to notice, silently breathing a sigh of relief.

And together, they hurried off, both eager to see his surprise – for him, especially to see her reaction.

- -

"Uwaaaa!" she cried out in surprise. "It's so, so – kirei! So pretty!" Her eyes lit up with wonder and gladness. "I can't believe it!"

He couldn't help but smile inwardly at her innocent, child-like awe.

She turned to face him. "Wai! Thank you Yuki-kun, for showing me this!" Without even knowing or realizing it, her eyes crinkled in laughter and a joyous smile bloomed on her face.

She looked like the happiest girl in the world right then, and his heart warmed to know that_ he _had been the one that made her smile. After so many dreary, slow moving days, in which death had caused her to become depressed, she was finally smiling. A ray of sunshine was now lighting up his world – like she had always had. And he could only hope that nothing would darken her world ever again.

Right now, at that moment, she was the happiest she had ever been.

- -

As she looked back on it now, she realized that he had shown her the plums out of his pure, undying love for her.

She cursed her denseness to forever and beyond; knowing that it must have been agony for him to show how he cared about a person . . how he cared about _her_.

And even if he _had _gathered up the courage to tell her how he felt, she, in all her cluelessness, wouldn't have any idea what he was talking about. Or maybe she would simply brush it off.

But that hadn't happened . . something else did. Something completely different. All along, from the time she had met him to all the moments they had spent together, something had been buried deep in her – a want, a need, a desire. Something that she couldn't explain with words, but could feel with her heart. And that was enough, she thought, more than enough.

As she had gotten to know him better, that something deepened and spread itself throughout her body, warming herself and her senses whenever she was with him.

Her innocent soul hadn't known, at sixteen, what that had been – but now at eighteen, she knew what it was. Before Hana-chan had died, she had been yearning to tell him how she felt . . and that she _did_ feel the same as he felt about her.

Now, after her first smile ever since Hana-chan's death, she understood that she_ hadn't _needed to say anything – her bright smile and shining eyes had told him everything. And that thought bought a wistful but calm look to her eyes. He had already known – so here they were now, healing from their pain and moving on.

She was so grateful to him – for not only did he care about her and show her the things that she loved, but he had made her feel better and smile again – all by one seemingly simple act.

And one that not only had made her better and feel herself once more, but showed her how much he truly cared and loved her. That alone made her feel like the most special person in the world – and he was the one who made her feel that way.

Special, loved . . they were the best feelings in the world – and it made her so elated that he made her feel like that. He, and only he, could ever make her feel like she was special and the best person she could ever be – and the only person who truly mattered in his life – not including his family.

She owed everything – who she had been and who she was now – to him, and the worst part was, she had no idea how to repay him.

When she had told him that, he had laughed quietly and told her that there was no need for her to repay him for anything. "Just knowing that you love me is enough," he had answered to her unspoken question of _I **have **to repay you somehow, so how can I?_ Which had made her madly blush, she remembered, chuckling softly.

"Tohru?" His voice broke her thoughts. After he had "told" her that he loved her, and she "told" him too, by their gestures and glances, she had asked him to call her by her name. "Call me Tohru," she had said simply. "Nothing else, and I'll be happy." So, he had obeyed.

"Eh? Gomen, Yuki-kun!" she cried, startled brown eyes meeting calm but amused grey ones. "I was thinking, and –"

He raised a hand to stop her ravings, which it did. "It's all right, Tohru. You can think all you want." His eyes glittered with barely concealed mirth. "I came to call you down for dinner."

"Eh! Are we having take-out?" She couldn't help asking, and he couldn't help himself – he started to laugh.

"Nan – Nani? Are you okay, Yuki-kun?" Concern filled her voice. "Is something wrong?"

He shook his head no, his laughter now abating. "I'm fine, Tohru. Please don't worry. Yes," his mouth curved into a grin, "we're having take-out. Much to Shigure's dismay."

She shook her head and got up from her bed. "I'm feeling sorry for him, then," she said wryly, which made him laugh, as they left the room together.

"There's no need for you to be," he commented as they reached the dining room/kitchen. "Honestly, I think the way that Shigure's feeling sorry that we're not having 'good ol' homecooking,' is more than enough. You shouldn't feel sorry for him."

"Oh, but I can't help but be sorry!" She exclaimed, trying not to giggle at the way he had said "good ol' homecooking."

A smile lit up his face. "Tohru, you're really something else, you know that?" he murmured, making her stop right near the dining room and, of course, redden intensely.

"N – No!" she stammered, waving her arms in denial and embarrassment. "You've got to be kidding, Yuki-kun."

His eyes shone with amusement. "No, not at all. If you ask me," his eyes flickered with something she couldn't describe, but only understand, "it becomes you."

At that moment, she could have resembled a tomato, for all the uncontrolled blushing she had done. But she didn't say anything . . because she knew his words held truth in them – and they always would.

"Shall we go to dinner, then?" He asked with that maddening absolutely heroic smile of his.

"Sure!" She bounced excitedly by his side as they entered the dining room and took their places at the table. He only shook his head bemusedly at her and together they endured more teasing by their housemates.

"Lovebirds – that's all we'll ever be to them, won't we?" He asked her after dinner, laughing slightly as he did so.

"Probably," she smiled softly, "not that I mind."

He looked at her with wonder and didn't say anything for a while. "It's a good thing that we are 'lovebirds,' " he said after a few moments, making her laugh delightedly.

"Yeah," she said, laughing still, "that we are."

Then a calm silence filled between them.

She might have thought before that she would never smile again, Tohru realized now, but that had proved to be untrue. She _had_ smiled again – and she didn't regret it at all. Thanks to Yuki, she had nothing to regret or feel bad for now. It was as if she was free – free of the chains that had bonded her in the past, free of guilt, regret and fear. Free of everything.

And she had even proved _herself _wrong. That alone told her everything – the world would be as she had always believed and knew it to be, and somewhere the flame of happiness would always burn. Even if she had believed before that it would never burn for her, wherever she could see or feel it.

It still did. As she looked at Yuki now, she felt right then the world was a wonderful place, and she the luckiest person of all since –

He had taught her to smile again.


End file.
